Restoring livelihoods of war affected:

http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20100907_01Restoring

livelihoods of war affected:
Indian Army Chief commends Govt

Indian Army Chief of Staff Gen Vijay Kumar Singh called on Prime Minister D M Jayaratne at the Prime Minister’s office yesterday. Picture by Sudath Malaweera
Indian Army Chief of Staff General Vijay Kumar Singh yesterday stated that the Government of Sri Lanka has performed a commendable task in bringing back the livelihoods of the war affected people in North and East to normalcy.
He made this observation during his discussion with Prime Minister D M Jayaratne at the Prime Minister's Office yesterday morning. General V K Singh is the highest ranking Indian military officer to visit Sri Lanka since the end of the war against terrorism in Sri Lanka.
He arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday on a five day official visit at the invitation of Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya in a bid to promote bilateral military ties and defense cooperation between the two countries.
He was accorded a special guard of honour at the Army Head Quarters yesterday morning. After his meeting with Sri Lanka Army Commander, General Singh called on Prime Minister D M Jayaratne, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Chief of Defense of Staff and Air Force Commander Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonetilleke and External Affairs Minister Professor G L Peiris.
In the evening General Singh paid floral tributes at the War Memorial in Battaramulla for IPKF troops.
During the discussion with the Prime Minister, General Singh said that the Sri Lankan Government has performed a commendable task in resettling citizens in the North and East and restoring the livelihoods of the war affected.
The Indian Army Chief further said that each measure taken to uplift the living standards of the resettled people in North and East will bind the country together as a single unit. He added that the people who were under LTTE tyranny will now compare their past experiences with the benefits and relief they are receiving from the Government. He also said that under these circumstances the Government has an excellent opportunity to build up trust and mutual understanding among its people.
General Singh further stated that Sri Lanka Military and Indian Defense Forces are maintaining excellent bilateral relations and understanding.
Prime Minister D M Jayaratne during the discussion stated that the Sri Lankan Government has successfully resettled the displaced people in a relatively short time with the support of the Indian Government.
He added that the people of Sri Lanka have no racist feelings towards each other, but certain politicians are attempting to plant and spread such racial ideology amongst the masses to gain cheap political benefits.
Indian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Ashok K Kantha was also present on the occasion.
Courtesy - Daily news